Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright
by Valkyrei
Summary: A new girl - Tora - is found outside the Academy, suffering from a vampire attack. Zero is instantly drawn to her, but what happens when they discover Rido isn't done? What happens when Tora believes that Zero has been killed by those she loves?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this all takes place after the 26 episode of the anime series. I haven't yet had the pleasure to read the magna series, but it's next on my to-do list, and I have read like, the first two chapters on . So, like I said, after the 2nd season, but everyone stayed at the academy instead of leaving. NOBODY LEFT THE ACADEMY!! Oh, and Zero didn't promise to kill Yuuki, but other than that it's the same.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight nor any of the characters or events devised by the creators of said Vampire Knight. I do, however, own Tora, so please leave her alone, because she is mine!

One more teensy weensy little note. _underlined italics_ means the persons conscious/voice. _italics_ means it's the characters thoughts. "Quotation Marks" means someone's talking. Kapeish?

I ran as fast as I could. My lungs screamed for air, burning like fire despite the rain showering down on me through the trees above. My limbs protested, demanding rest for their oxygen starved muscles. But I couldn't stop. I had no choice but to run, if I wanted to live.

I hadn't had time to even put my shoes on before the attack, and my feet were raw and cut, the thin house socks not giving them much protection against the harsh forest floor.

Tree branches whipped past me, scratching my face. I glanced over my shoulder for a split second, dreading what I might see, and stumbled, falling to my knees, bloodying them. My hands scraped against mud and rocks and my wrist protested sharply. I felt something snap and muffled a scream by biting the inside of my cheek, tasting the metallic taste of blood.

The demon following me would be able to scent my blood, but I didn't plan on making it any easier for him by making noise.

I pushed myself to my feet, panting. I could see faint gray light filtering through the trees ahead of me. Good. I was almost -

Something tackled me from behind, shoving me back down to the ground. He was on top of me, snarling and angry. I still couldn't believe that my own _father_, a hunter, had sunk to Level E vampire and killed my mother. Oh well. It's not like I had ever loved him really loved him, anyways. He was very… strict, in his disciplinary methods, and I couldn't count the number of times she had gone to bed hungry or even had to be attended to by a doctor. Or the scars, both mental and physical.

No, I had not loved him, but he was my father, my own flesh and blood relative, and I had thought that would mean something to him, of all people, who was obsessed with bloodlines and their heritage. The Hissatsu family was, admittedly, a very old, very powerful family, but still, it was no reason to get obsessed.

Father's clawed hands pierced the skin of my shoulders and his face twisted with tortured hunger, his eyes a burning red, fangs elongating as he pushed my face into the dirt, yanking my hair roughly out of the way to reveal my pale neck, my pulse throbbing in my veins.

I tried to scream as his fangs sliced through my skin, grinding through the arteries and skin and nerves and muscle, but before long he clapped his hand over my mouth, his talons pricking into my cheek as pain lanced up my neck. He lapped at my blood greedily and I nearly passed out with the sudden, shocking realization that he was going to drink me dry. Well, the loss of blood certainly didn't help me in my attempts to stay conscious, but still.

A loud gunshot shocked me from the black, blissful oblivion of death and my eyes flew open, rolling wildly as I tried to locate the source of the shot. The Level E was gone from me, and I saw him slam into a tree before he bounded up, his eyes wild with hunger. He charged a tall boy with pale silvery violet eyes who pulled out a gun - a Bloody Rose. Vines were curled around him, coming from the Rose itself. The boy laughed maniacally.

If I hadn't been so scared, the adrenaline pumping like quicksilver through my collapsing veins, I might have thought it was a hallucination or a mirage.

Another report, louder than before, broke the silence of the misty forest and I whimpered, watching in some sort of horrified trance as my father exploded into a cloud of dust. I covered my ears and curled into a ball on my side, shivering, feeling the dizziness and lethargy and nausea of blood loss come back in full force.

Someone touched my shoulder and I flinched, a frightened shriek escaping my lips as his fingers slipped on the bloodied flesh of my shoulder.

"Who are you?" asked a voice. It was smooth and even, but clipped, hiding an inner pain.

I pressed my face into the dirt, fear and pain and the weight of the strange boys pain making me want to die right then and there.

The boy nudged me with his booted foot. "Answer my question."

"Tora," I whispered, wincing as the boot hit a tender spot in my back. It still hadn't healed from the baseball bat incident last week…

As I remembered, pain welled up inside my body, from my neck and everywhere else. But mostly my neck. Black mist swam in front of my eyes, tinted with red, the color of blood, and I closed my eyes, feeling like I was falling, falling, falling…

Zero stared down at the girl on the ground at his feet. Tora. Her hair was a strange mixture of reddish orange, sort of a warm ruby gold, but that wasn't what was strange about it. What was strange was that there was black stripes, jaggedly streaking their way from her scalp to her waist, the length of her hair.

He thought for a moment. Tora… tiger. Her namesake. Her eyes, for the time he had seen them, were a honey gold with rings of darker and lighter gold surrounding them.

Zero shook himself roughly, trying to clear his head of such thoughts. That was probably the longest time he had ever spent on a girl's appearance. Ever.

But… she really did look like a tiger…

Enough!

_You need to take her back to the Academy_, a voice whispered to him.

_No, I don't, _he corrected the voice. Since when did he even _have_ a voice, anyways?

_Yes, you do._

_No, I don't._

_Yes, you do._

_No, I don't._

_Yes, you do. Now shut up and quit arguing with me! That girl is lying in the middle of the forest in the rain and has just had her blood drank by a Level E. She's traumatized and injured. Besides, _the voice told him, now very smug, _Chairman Kaien will hear about it, and you know how disappointed he'll be. He'll never shut up about it. _

Zero sighed, defeated. _Fine_, he thought crossly at the voice. _But if she turns out to be trouble, I'm blaming you._

He bent down and scooped the girl into his arms, suddenly alarmed at how weak and erratic her heartbeat was. He choked suddenly as the scent of her blood came to him. It slammed into his body like a wrecking ball. There was no image violent enough to describe the way that scent made him feel. In that instant, any thought of how attractive this girl may have been, how delicate or fragile she may be, vanished. He moaned with desire at the scent coming from her skin, her hair, her blood - oh, God, her _blood_ - and felt his fangs prick his lips sharply.

The pain cleared his head for a second, but a second was all he needed. He dropped Tora and stumbled away, gasping. Zero fumbled in his pocket for the pill container of blood supplements and downed four of them, dry.

He pressed his back against one of the numerous trees and slid to the ground, breathing heavily. He felt his thirst slowly, ever so slowly, fade to a more manageable level.

Zero cursed, hating himself. He hated himself for losing control, he hated himself for not being human, he hated himself for not even being a real vampire, and, most of all, he hated himself for losing everyone he had ever loved.

Finally, after slowly dragging himself from his deep pit of self-loathing, Zero staggered to his feet, and, holding his breath, picked Tora up in his arms before turning and running back to the Cross Academy before she really did exsanguinate to death.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I am so sorry for not updating sooner, and I feel really bad because I already had this chapter typed out, I just forgot about it. Sorry. Anyways, I'll make this one really long to make up for it, but I can't give any promises on when the next one comes out. **

**Disclamer: I'm sorry… I have a confession…. I don't own Vampire Knight or it's characters or events! *Sobs* I am so sorry for deceiving you, because we all know that I owned Vampire Knight at one time. I just lost it to Matsuri Hino over a game of Old Maid. Damn that woman is sneaky…**

**Oh, yeah. I don't own the song "The Resistance" either. That belongs to Anberlin.**

* * *

_**Speak Speak for yourselfYou paper tigersYou crash where you standYou've got a riot on your handsSpeak Speak for yourselfYou paper tigersToo late to meet demandsWhen you've got a riot on your hands**_

**Back at the academy, Tora was instantly rushed to the Chairman's office. Her thin cotton shirt was torn and soaked with blood. **

"**Get Rima," the Chairman ordered, his attention focused on the unconscious girl sprawled across his desk. Seeing Zero's scowl, he added, "Rima is the best healer we have access to. She's her best chance of survival."**

**Still frowning, loathing burning hot and fast as a wildfire in his chest, Zero bolted from the room, making his way quickly to the Moon Dorms. **

**The doorman took one look at Zero's blood-splattered face and clothes, deadly expression, and prefect arm band and motioned him in. The vampires, having scented the fresh blood, were assembled in the living room, situating themselves around the pureblood couple reclining on the plush red velvet couch.**

**Pain clutched at his heart as he looked at Yuuki. He told himself to remain calm. Yuuki had made her choice, and her choice had been Kaname. She had made that pretty obvious the last time they had spoken. Kaname was fiddling with a piece of her beautiful auburn hair, so long now, after the change. He then dipped his head and whispered something in her ear. Yuuki began to laugh, and Kaname eventually joined in. Oh, God how Zero loved her laugh, even now. Kaname reached for Yuuki's chin and pulled her lips to his in a gentle kiss. When they **_**finally**_** broke apart, **_**finally**_** noticing Zero standing there, so absorbed in themselves that they hadn't even noticed the blood. **

**Yuuki's eyes instantly shifted from their pretty chocolate brown to a fiery red, and he found that it was easier - looking at her as the demon he had always deplored - it was a little easier to hate her.**

"**I need Rima," he rasped, his voice rough for some reason, scraping his throat like sandpaper. Come to think of it, his eyes burned a little bit, too. **

**Shiki instantly stepped forward, protectiveness in every line of his body. It bothered Zero, the way they remained apart even though they both had each other's heart. If Zero could have Yuuki back, even for a moment, he wouldn't let pride or fear of rejection stand in the way of his feelings for her.**

"**What do you need with my charge, Kiryu?" Kaname asked, his face amused. "And why are you covered in blood? It's making Yuuki dear thirsty."**

**Resentment boiled in his throat, trying to emerge as a growl. He forced it back. "We need a healer. A girl was attacked by a Level E, and she might not make it."**

**Rima stepped forward, bowing submissively to Kaname. "May I, Kaname? I want to keep from getting rusty. No one ever gets hurt in the Night Class."**

**The pureblooded bastard nodded thoughtfully. "Of course, Rima. You may go."**

**Zero heard the double meaning in his words. **_**Report everything you witness back to me. I want to know if this new tenant will be a worth-while addition to my chess game.**_

**Zero whirled around without the proper greeting and stalked from the room, his back rigid with hate at the pureblood. Rima ran up to him and put her hand on her arm. He wasn't surprised to see that Shiki was following close behind. Zero felt the floor tilt under his feet and the next instant he was in the infirmary. Tora was lying on the Chaiman's desk which had been cleared away to serve as a makeshift operating table for the wounded teen. Her shirt had been removed, and Zero looked away awkwardly, then snapped his head back around in horror.**

**Dark bruises - some new, some still healing - covered her bare chest and lower abdomen. From head to toe, she was mottled with bruises.**

**The area around her left eye had turned a pale, delicate purple that got darker the closer it got to the epicenter of where someone had hit her. The streak of blood that had covered her face had been washed off, but her lip was split in two places, swollen and discolored.**

**She was so skinny, too. Like a skeleton, all bones and angles. Her wrists looked so thin that just a strong breeze might snap them.**

**The bruising on her neck fanned out over her shoulders and down her arms.**

**At the junction where her neck and shoulders met were bruises that were even darker than those around them. They were shaped perfectly like purple handprints.**

**Deep cuts covered her stomach, arms, and legs. They weren't bleeding much, but that only meant that she didn't have much blood left to bleed out anymore.**

**In the space between her neck and right shoulder were abrasions cast in a feathering pattern over her skin. Only they weren't abrasions at all, they were teeth marks.**

**Zero nearly gasped in spite of himself and his hands clenched into fists. They weren't marks from a vampire - two small punctures - no, these marks were human. **

**Zero hadn't seen all of what happened, but, from the different stages of healing, he knew that these injuries couldn't have all happened at once. He wondered how he could have missed this before, but concluded that he had probably been too tempted by her blood to notice. Blood that was now dripping down the side of her neck and pooling in a crimson puddle on the desk around her, flowing in a ruby stream to stain the carpet.**

**Rima rushed forward, elbowing her way past the Chairman. Zero and Shiki hung back awkwardly, not knowing what to do. **

**A soft glow came from Rima's hands as she moved them slowly over the girls battered form. Reaching her hips, she froze, her face paling to a deadly white.**

**Shiki was at her side in an instant. "What, Rima? What happened?"**

**Zero looked at them in confusion. **

"**When Rima heals someone, she sees how and when they received the injury," said the Chairman, who had come to stand at the wall next to Zero.**

**Rima murmured something into Shiki's chest and he looked stricken. **

"**What is it?" Zero demanded angrily.**

"**She says that she was raped."**

**A roaring filled Zero's ears and his mouth dropped open in revulsion. He had heard of vampires who sexually abused the girls they assailed, but he had never actually seen the aftermath of such an attack. **

**For a moment he thought that he would lose his unshakeable cool and rant or run around the room or break something or shoot - shoot someone. He didn't know who. But he didn't. He remained frozen in place, hardly breathing as the shock of the realization filled him.**

**She was just so… small. So fragile, like if he moved too fast she would fall to pieces. She was obviously malnourished, too, from the way her bones could all be seen and counted clearly, like skin stretched over a skeleton. He could count every one of her ribs.**

**But Shiki wasn't finished yet. "It was… her father, and this wasn't the first time. It wasn't the only thing he did to her, either."**

**Zero made a choking sound low in his throat. Her own father…**

**But Rima was healing again, and Zero watched in sick fascination as her skin knit back together at the deepest points. The bruises faded a little, but didn't vanish.**

**The second she was out of the danger zone, the two Night Classmen vanished, leaving Zero and the Chairman alone with the cataleptic girl.**

"**Zero," the Chairman said wearily, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. He looked older than he really was, the distress of the awful event taking it's toll on the former vampire hunter. "Fix up the extra bed in your room and bring her there for the night. Just… comfort her, if you will. God only knows how much she'll need it if she wakes up. I'll take the patrol for you tonight. Try not to drink her."**

**Zero glared at him, his icy violet eyes cold at the suggestion that he would even consider doing something so traumatic to someone who had already gone through such an ordeal. **

**He set her on the spare bed in the guest room. Well, technically it was his room. He had moved out of the Sun Dorm, preferring instead to stay at the Chairman's house. It was quieter there, and he had a room all to himself.**

_**Well**_**, he amended as an afterthought, **_**at least I had used to have a room to myself.**_

**Zero piled all the blankets he could find on top of her comatose form after seeing her shiver. She curled onto her side, tears leaking from her eyes.**

**He clenched his fingers, relieving the moment he had killed that monster who had dared attack this girl. Hadn't she already been punished enough? What curse had been laid upon her for her to deserve such a fate as this? **

**His hand began to tremble as he remembered that deadly night nearly seven years ago when that pureblooded leech had killed his family and sunk her fangs into his neck, the sickening burning as the toxin had entered his bloodstream. **

**She whimpered in her sleep and Zero felt the knot in his stomach twist tighter. She gripped her neck with one hand, the other tucked into her side. Seeing that she was drawing deep, jagged scratches in her own neck, he gently pulled her hand away. Her skin was frigid. It was hard to believe that anyone that cold could still be amongst the world of the living.**

**Her eyes, red from crying, but still as electrifying as he remembered, snapped open and focused on his face. She jerked to a sitting position, her golden eyes wide, her hair plastered to her face by her tears. For a moment he was reminded of White Lily when she was startled, but the moment passed as the look on her face changed to one of pure terror.**

**She jerked away from him, tearing her hand from his grasp and scrambling to get into the corner, as far away from him as possible. Worried, Zero could only watch helplessly as she struggled to jam herself into the corner to make herself a smaller target. Her hand was back to her neck again, as if she thought if she could just press hard enough, it would heal and the pain of the memory would fade.**

**Zero wanted to track down the monster who had done this to her and make him pay. He would hunt him down like the dog he was and show him how it was to be the victim, see if he enjoyed **_**his**_** style of hunting. When he was done with him Hannibal Lector would curl up in the fetal position and cry for his mother.**

**Then her tears began again, and all his violent plans for revenge crumbled. Well, not crumbled, exactly, just pushed to the back of his mind.**

"**W-who are you?" she whispered, her voice so soft that he had to strain to hear it.**

"**My name is Zero," he said in his softest, most non-scary voice. "You're at the Cross Academy."**

**She nodded and relaxed just the slightest bit. The tears were still coming but she seemed to be able to recognize the difference between him and that… Zero craved his death so savagely that it rang in his ears and coated his tongue with a rusty, coppery flavor.**

**Her expression was just so… terrified, so shattered. It looked like she had lost something, lost a part of her. It made him want to murder someone. Or comfort her. Impulsively, he reached out his hand to her. **

**What little calm she had previously had vanished and she let out a bloodcurdling scream, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her head in her hands. **

**Zero jerked back as if he had been burned, horrified at her reaction. "Sorry! It's okay," he murmured, trying to do something to calm her down. Or at least get her to stop making that awful keening noise. "No one is going to hurt you. You're safe. You're safe. You're safe," he found himself repeating it like a sacred mantra.**

**It seemed to help, a little, though she was still cupping her neck so tightly with her hand that her knuckles were white and bloodless.**

**Moving slowly so she could see his every movement and intention, he gently placed his hand over hers. Her eyes widened immensely, and she flinched, but didn't scream. He took her small, fragile hand in his and replaced it with his own. Her skin felt like silk beneath his fingers.**

**He looked her straight in the eyes and spoke softly, like you would to a wild animal if you didn't know how it would react to you. "No one here will harm you," he said slowly. "I will be here to protect you for as long as you need me. Sleep now, Tora."**

**Her jagged breathing slowed, leveling out to a more rhythmic pace and her eyes slowly closed. She yawned sleepily.**

**Zero went to remove his hand, but she grabbed onto it with both of hers and her eyes popped open again to focus on his face.**

"**Stay," she ordered, her tone slurred. **

**Zero sat down on the bed next to her, and she snuggled up next to him, sighing contentedly. **

**He watched the lightning of the storm play over her weary face until he fell asleep by her side, to forever watch for her, her silent, brave Vampire Knight.**

_**Tiger, Tiger burning bright.**_

_**In the midst of the , Tiger, eyes of gold, Tiger, Tiger steals your , Tiger, heart of fire, Tiger, Tiger your on a wire.**_

_**Tiger, Tiger needs to reign, Tiger, Tiger stalks the rain. Tiger, Tiger comeback is near. Tiger, Tiger strikes the fear. **_

_**Tiger, Tiger comes out to the essence of a dark, dark day.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_He fears the tiger standing in his way. The tiger takes its time, it smiles and growls. Like moons, the two blank eyes tug at his bowels. "God help me now," is all that he can say_

I groaned and rolled onto my side, which was a mistake. Pain lanced through my ribs and I yelped, jerking upright. My golden tiger-eyes glowed in the darkness, the only light a lavender candle burning dimly on bedside table. The room I was in was… not mine.

At first I thought it was a hotel room, because no one would decorate like this on purpose, but then, upon hearing the rush of water and the murmur of voices, I guessed that it was some sort of a dorm room, or a kitchen somewhere.

The walls were white, the two beds with dark blue comforters. Heavy drapes were drawn over the windows, also in the same midnight blue. I sighed, then flinched and scrambled into the corner of the room when I saw something glint red in the darkness.

Red like blood… Red like eyes…

Panic filled my body and my breath came in ragged gasps as my hands curled into fists. I focused in on the object terrified to see those glowing, demonic red eyes. Instead I saw a red rose, set in a vase on the desk in the corner.

I gave a strangled choking sound that might have passed for a laugh, but not quite. Tremors racked my body and I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my forehead on the ragged fabric of my pants and wrapping my arms around the whole trembling package.

Okay, I cried. Whatever. Everyone cries at some point in their life, and I had just undergone a very stressful event. I mean, come on. My parents were dead - one killed by the other - and I had no clue where I was. I barely even knew who I was anymore.

After my tears finally dried up, I staggered out of bed, wiping my eyes roughly with the palms of my hands. My clothes were in fairly good shape (not really, I was lying to myself) the pants were torn, and my long sleeved shirt had been torn completely away, leaving me in just a tank top. Actually, the shirt wasn't mine, either. It was a too-big black t-shirt that hung on my thin frame like a dress.

I sighed. I knew myself too well. There was no way I would ever be able to go out like this. Maybe I could just stay here, hibernate until… my stomach growled loudly, protesting my decision. Okay. I needed food, but to get that I needed clothes.

I cracked my knuckles loudly then winced, shaking my hands in an attempt to relieve the pain. Note to self: no more knuckle cracking.

Time to snoop.

I'll spare you the long, boring, dusty, _extremely_ dusty, details. There was absolutely nothing in the drawers on my side of the room, and at first I was hesitant to intrude on my roommate's privacy, if I even had a roommate, but necessity forced my hand.

There wasn't really anything interesting there except for a pistol. An M-9 Beretta 9mm, to be exact. There were two more: a Browning 9x 19mm, AKA the GP 35, and a Jericho 941F, also known as "The Baby Eagle". They were pretty high tech. Very fancy.

There was also a single rose, dry and faded, sitting on the bedside table next to a box of pills. Hmm… maybe my roomy was sick and needed medicine. I got real bad case of pneumonia once and needed to be on penicillin for two months.

Other than that there was nothing even remotely personal. Even the clothes that I found were almost all uniforms, except for a few pairs of jeans and some sweaters and t-shirts. The uniforms - dark blue pants with a matching jacket and a white shirt - led me to believe I was at some sort of expensive prep school.

I opened the last dresser drawer and was met by the sight of numerous pairs of boxers, all in subdued hues. I stared at the contents of the drawer in confusion, my mind trying to come up with a logical explanation for this. Maybe… my roommate was a cross-dresser? No, not likely. Maybe she kept extra's for her boyfriend? Eww… I shuddered. The only reasonable explanation I could think of was that…

Oh, my gosh.

My roommate was a… guy?!

I slammed the drawer shut, my cheeks flaming as I framed them with my hands, trying desperately to hide the blush and to calm myself down.

_Oh, shoot, _I thought to myself. _I really hope no one ever, EVER hears about this._

All the pants were too big for me, but by rolling the hems and tying three of the belt loops together with the ribbon that had, until that time, been holding back my hair, did I manage to get them to keep from falling off. The shirt was so long I could have worn it as a dress and I cursed silently. Why the heck did I have to be so stinking short? I mean seriously, this person must be like Goliath from how long these clothes are.

I looked completely ridiculous, I knew, but at least I was decent and completely covered.

They smelled _amazing, _too. Like, I don't know, saffron or cinnamon or amber or apple pie or cedar. I took another deep breath. Mmm… or maybe all of them together. Yummy.

I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. At least, it should have been the hallway. Instead I ran into someone's rock hard chest.

"Ooff!" I gasped, stumbling a bit. The boy grabbed my wrist and gently lifted me upright.

"Forgive my intrusion. I was just about to knock," he said. I looked up from under my hair, shy in the presence of such a powerful - he had to be powerful; he made the room seem smaller just by _standing_ in it, for crying out loud! He had dark hair and maroon eyes. He was really handsome. He looked me over, then asked, sounding politely confused, "Those are not you clothes, are they?"

I blushed, twisting one of the strands of black hair around my finger. "Uh, yeah, sorry. Couldn't find any others."

"That's fine. The Chairman wants to see you. I am Kaname Kuran."

The name struck a cord in me, but I couldn't quite remember it completely, so it must not have been that important. "Tora," I murmured, twining my hands together in front of me and biting my lip nervously.

"Tora," he repeated quietly, almost to himself. "The tiger?"

I nodded.

"I can see the resemblance. Well, Tora, it is a pleasure to meet you."

He turned to walk down the hallway, pulling me after him. His touch on my wrist just felt so… wrong. I wanted to ask him to let me go, but I was too intimidated by him.

After that, the walk down the hall was pretty uneventful. When we finally reached a large oak door, Kaname opened it with all the diplomatic grace and dignity of a prince, his movements elegant and purposeful.

The instant I stepped into the room the Chairman practically tackled me. "Tora-chan! I'm so glad to see you awake! When Zero brought you to the Academy, well, let me tell you, it was pretty touch-and-go for a couple days, but boom! Here you are, all up and well again!"

I struggled out of his grip, wide-eyed, and slunk back towards the wall.

"Zero-kun will show you around the Cross Academy when you start your classes tomorrow. The grounds can be quite daunting for a first timer, but if you just stick with him I'm sure you'll be fine and learn your way around the grounds in no time," The Chairman gushed, not seeming to notice my reaction. He was so… enthusiastic.

I bobbed my head in a jerky sort of bow and began fiddling with a piece of my hair again, looking down at my bare feet. They were cold. This whole darn building was cold. I could count every purple vein in my feet, standing out glaringly against my near-translucent white skin.

"Ah, Tora," the Chairman said, in a tone of voice that suggested he and Kaname had grown-up business to talk about. "Why don't you -"

But I was already out the door.

* * *

_I am a tiger in a cagePacing up and downTrying hard to stem my rageGrowling with a scowl and frownI am a tiger in a cageHere by my honor boundDoing my very best to gaugeJust when they will come 'round_

* * *

**A.N-**

**Ahem. Valkyrie here. Okay, to clear some things up, Kaname is not Chairman Kaien's messenger - **

**Kaname: I most certainly am not! To think that would even be suggested, me, a pureblood! How dare - **

**Valkyrie: Blah, blah, blah, whatever. I'm the author, and I swear on the blood of… Yuuki-chan that I will delete you! Well, just your dialogue, not your pictures, because God only knows that you're nice to look at. **

**Kaname: *Is silent.* (Goes off to pout and break things and be coddled by his dear, sweet girl Yuuki.)**

**Valkyrie: But, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Kaname is not the Chairman's messenger boy. He was only there to probe Tora's brain to see what he could find out about her past/family/etc**.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so, here is your newest chapter of Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, and any names, places, plot lines, events, descriptions, terms, etc. that you may recognize belongs to Matsuri Hino.

**In the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding on the back of the tiger ended up inside.**

The hallway was fairly plain, a picture or two scattered here and there to keep it from seeming too much like a prison, but that didn't comfort me. I had found that whenever someone tries to make an impression on you, the opposite is the truth.

I gulped and was only too glad to finally be back at the relative safety of my room. Never for a moment did the thought enter my head that my dorm mate might be there as I opened the door, slipping silently into the darkened room.

I was instantly pinned to the wall by my throat, a Bloody Rose pointed at my temple. I wasn't all that worried, because it was an anti-vampire weapon and I was a human, but still. The feel of the cold, unforgiving metal pressed firmly against the side of my head was still a cause for alarm. I choked, clawing at the hand currently restricting my airway. My feet were lifted off the ground, and I mentally cursed my legs for being so stubby. The boy from the woods was standing there, his thistle violet eyes boring into mine, his silver hair still wet and dripping from the shower, nearly covering his eyes with quicksilver spikes.

I looked away awkwardly, seeing he was only in a towel. My gosh, he was ripped! Every muscle in his torso was perfectly outlined, and he was the first person I had ever seen with actual washboard abs. Like, seriously. I think I could have literally washed clothes on them, they were so defined.

"Oh, it's you. Sorry," he said, releasing me. I sank to my knees, gasping for air. "I thought you were… never mind."

He turned and stalked back into the bathroom, leaving me in a heap on the floor, clutching my throat and staring after him, wide-eyed with terror… and a hint of something else.

I took a deep breath and got slowly to my feet, rubbing my neck in chagrin.

"What was his problem, anyway?" I grumbled shakily to myself, trying to disguise my fear as irritation. I could pass the shaking off for exhaustion, but the wildness in my eyes would cause suspicion.

I staggered over to the window seat, gazing longingly out at the starry night sky. The moon was nearly full, a fat slice of buttery yellow hanging in the onyx sky. I sighed, tucking my legs under me and resting my chin in my hand.

I started to think too hard about red, blood, death, pain, bruises, hate… so I picked up the first book I laid my hands on. It was a thick tome dedicated to the art of vampire hunting and thoroughly covered what powers and abilities they have, how to kill a vampire, the history and genealogy of some of the more renown vampires, and a list of the best weapons to hunt vampires with.

It was actually quite interesting, and I absorbed every bit of knowledge I could about the history of vampires and their family tree. One name in particular stood out: Kaname Kuran. Had I not just met the man? He seemed to be nice enough to me today, but according to this book he was one of the most powerful vampires in history, ruthless and ambitious, not unwilling to use people to achieve his own goals.

I shivered. Now that I thought about it, there was a specific aura of power around him, something in his manner, or his eyes that told me this was a man who was used to being obeyed and respected. My hand trembled as I turned the page clumsily, nearly tearing the thick parchment.

But was he truly obeyed… or was he feared?

The next two pages were devoted to his sister and lover, Yuuki Kuran formerly Cross. Headmaster Cross? Had Yuuki been his adopted daughter? I read on.

Yes… it said right here:

"_The headmaster - a former vampire hunter himself - knew both of Kaname and Yuuki's parents, who founded the Cross Academy - a safe harbor for vampires and humans alike - as a peace treaty before their deaths, and felt indebted to them, in particular Juuri Kuran, who had spared his life sixteen years ago after he had attempted to assassinate her, not knowing then that she was pregnant with Yuuki. To protect her daughter, Juuri sacrificed herself to seal Yuuki's vampire side and erase her daughter's memory; After being adopted by Kaien Cross, Yuuki suffered troubling recurring nightmares until Zero Kiriyu joins their household. Ten years after the night her parents died, Kaname awoke Yuuki's vampire side, and as far as we know she has remained at the Cross Academy with him to this day."_

I paled, leaning against the wall, feeling the cool plaster against my sweaty skin. Cross Academy… I was at Cross Academy. Vampires were at the Cross Academy… I shuddered, but kept reading. According to this, only vampires who agreed to take blood supplement tablets were allowed to board here, and only if they were Level C to A. Anything below that and they were deemed as a safety hazard to the Day Class students, the humans, and therefore free game for any higher class vampire of vampire hunters in the area.

I was suddenly overcome with weariness. I didn't want to fight anymore, and I didn't want to run. Maybe I could make it work. Maybe I could learn not to hate… All the vampires here were supposed to be nice, humane, have morals.

I decided to give it a shot. At best, I might like it here. At worst, I might possibly kill someone and leave.

Zero took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. Why did he feel like this? If anything, he should feel guilty for assaulting a girl who had already been traumatized so harshly. Well, he did feel guilty, but that wasn't all he felt.

He felt… he didn't quite know the word for it. Hell, he wasn't sure if there _was_ a word for the way he felt, but all he could think of was the way the silky skin of her throat had felt under his touch, the way her beautiful striped hair had fluttered around her face, like black and copper banners, the way her golden tiger eyes seemed to see right through him, right to his core…

Zero shook himself, digging his fingernails into the flesh of his forearm. No, no, _no_. He could not afford to find her so fascinating, so good. She did not deserve that fate… he did not deserve _her_.

She was too good to be tainted by his world. She was too innocent, to trusting. Now, for example, he could hear her muttering to herself in the other room. There was a crash, and she swore quietly to herself, mumbling incoherently.

Zero's lips twitched upwards in the ghost of a smile.

He would do the right thing. He would keep his emotions in check and watch from a distance. He would give her the only thing he could give to her: safety.

Zero dressed quickly in sweats and left the bathroom. Tora was sprawled in the window seat, a thick novel in her lap. He marked her place in the book with a scrap of paper and gently lifted her from her perch, carrying her bridal-style to her bed. Zero pulled back the thick, fluffy duvet and set her down gently, pulling the blankets over her trembling form and tucking them around her sides.

He noticed she was wearing some of his clothes. They had just recently become too small for him, but on her they looked ridiculously over-sized, like a little girl playing dress up in her parent's closet. That reminded him… he needed to ask the Chairman if he knew anything about her past…

Tora moaned in her sleep and rolled over, latching onto his shirt, nearly pulling him onto the bed next to her.

She murmured something unintelligible, then sighed, a small smile creeping it's way over her full raspberry pink lips.

Zero disentangled himself from her, feeling the strange need to tell her, "I would die for you." Ridiculous. He would die for just about anyone these days, as long as they were human and he got to take a few of those leeches with him.

He bent over her sleeping form - God, she was beautiful, like an angel - and touched her cheek gently with his fingertips. He kissed her forehead tenderly, the sweet scent of her pervading through the air around him. She smelt like grapefruit - tangy, slightly bitter, but still sweet - or a forest after the rain, maybe a splash of lavender, with just a hint of cinnamon.

He turned away, strapping on his Bloody Rose as he prepared to sacrifice yet another night of sleep to patrol the area for any wayward vampires. He would keep her safe. It was the least he could do, and the most his shattered heart could give.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, two chapters in one night; I must either be on a role, feeling guilty about slacking for so long, or trying to avoid my homework.

Disclaimer: Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. I own none of the quotes or characters used in this fanfic except for Tora and her father, but I don't want him, the talented Matsuri Hino owns Vampire Knight and all of its themes, plots, characters, etc. I am not making any money off of this, no copyright infringement intended, blah, blah, blah.

This is sort of a staller/filler chapter, because I have writers block and don't know what to do, but it is probably going to be a bit humorous.

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**When beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean's skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember, that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang.**

I awoke in degrees. It was weird because I could feel myself drifting up from the deepest part of sleep. I could even feel remnants of my dream, which involved the strange, mysterious silver-haired boy who had saved me then pinned me to the wall last night. Speaking of which, he had just given me an irremovable choker of bruises around my neck, shaped suspiciously like fingers.

But, despite my first - or was it second? No, he seemed too familiar for that. Third? - impression of him, it was a very good dream, which I can now admit and discuss because no one is listening in. We were on a secluded tropical island, far away from all the nasty vampires and abusive fathers and rapists and muggers and evil math teachers of the past, just the two of us. The pressure of his fingertips still lingered on my cheek and I could still feel the warmth of his lips as he kissed his way from my forehead to my mouth. Mmmm…

I rolled over in bed, then shot bolt upright into a sitting position. Bed? How did I get into my bed? I knew for a fact that I had fallen asleep over that vampire hunter book on the window sill, but I could see it from here and the book was closed, a slip of paper marking my place.

Weird. Maybe I sleep walked? Maybe I was just too tired to remember dragging myself into the bed… Or maybe, just maybe, my mysterious, sexy roommate carried me here. My cheeks colored and my eyes lit up at the pleasant possibility.

Clamping down on my emotions before they could lead me to read into this too deeply and wind up hurt, I shook my head angrily in an attempt to clear it. I should not be thinking these things, not about a boy whose name I did not even know.

I sighed with pleasure and stood, stretching my stiff muscles, pleased to discover that nearly all of the aches and pains were gone. Well, my neck still hurt, but that was to be expected.

There was a uniform - a _girl's_ uniform, as I bittersweetly discovered - on the desk chair, and when I went to pick it up, a note fluttered to the ground.

_Tora-chan,_ it read. The handwriting was bold and full of loops and curls. If I hadn't known better I would have thought it was a girls.

_This is your Day Class uniform. If you're feeling up to it, you're classes are all ready for you. The schedule is on the back of this note. Have a groovy day! _

_XOXOXOXOXO,_

_Chairman Kaien Cross, AKA, "Daddy"_

I sighed and set the note down on the table. I might go today, and I might not. It all depended on what time it was. The uniform consisted of a short, dark skirt, white button up shirt and blazer of the same dark color as the skirt, and a pair of knee-high brown boots with socks that seemed more like pants with the tops cut off.

I groaned in disgust. Seriously? A _miniskirt_!? How in the heck was I supposed to do anything in a skirt? Ugh. I Reluctantly stripped off my roommate's clothes and pulled on the ridiculous uniform. It was too big for me, and I got the feeling that it was another hand-me-down. It didn't smell as good as my other one, though. It had obviously belonged to someone who was not only taller than me but also not as… I hesitated, taking stock of my bone-thin, emaciated form. Not as gaunt as I was, to put it nicely. I had to take a pair of brown leather shoelaces from the closet to lace up the boots so they wouldn't slip down to my calves, and I had to make a new hole in the belt to keep my skirt up. The shirt was easy to take care of; all I had to do was roll up the sleeves and button it all the way.

Scowling and feeling very exposed, I pulled part of my hair back into a braid and left the rest hanging loose around my face before checking the clock on the bedside table.

It was only six-freaking-fifteen in the morning.

"Oh, come on," I whined to the walls. They were silent. They were always silent, unless I was really tired, then they sometimes gave me helpful snippets of advice. "Only a quarter after six? Classes don't start until nine ten!" I moaned after checking the schedule.

I heaved another sigh. Well, I was already up and dressed, so I might as well make a good impression on my new… what would the word be? Not family, I didn't have anymore family. Maybe neighbors, or landlords! That seemed to fit, but not really, because I wasn't paying them to stay here, but it was the closest my coffee-deprived brain could come up with.

I walked down the hall, flinching at every sound and every twist of the shadows dancing on the walls. It was still pretty dark out, the sun not even beginning to peak over the trees.

When I'm nervous or stressed I cook. Or read. Or violently beat someone into a bloody pulp. Never mind. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'm a pretty good cook, as I proved once again.

I made muffins, coffee and tea, bacon, sausage, eggs - sunny side up, because I was in a good mood today - French toast, and English muffins with jam and butter.

The Chairman Kaien breezed into the room, took one look at all the food, and practically had a full-blown meltdown.

"Oh, Tora-chan! This is wonderful! You're the first one I've known who could actually cook! Kiryuu-kun will be so pleased! Oh, right. Speaking of Zero, will you go fetch him? He's sleeping on the couch in the living room. You were asleep while he was on patrol and he didn't want to wake you when he returned."

The Chairman continued to rant even after I politely excused myself and slipped out of the room to fetch Zero. I had no clue who Zero was, in truth, even though the name struck a familiar cord in me, but I figured that I would just find some random guy sleeping on the couch and wake him up for breakfast.

What I did not expect was for Zero to be my roommate. I also did not expect him to be the silver-haired god who had saved me from death not three days ago, and I most certainly did not expect him to be the boy I had dreamt about last night.

I froze in the entryway, automatically grasping at the doorframe for support. Images flashed through my mind in rapid succession. The flash of a gunshot, red eyes, silver, green… the colors ran together and I nearly collapsed under the weight of memory. Somewhere in my mind, amidst the sudden rush of blood in my ears, a voice boomed, _"Zero Kiriyu was Yuuki Crosses closest friend and the only other Cross Academy Guardian. Zero carries an anti-vampire gun named "Bloody Rose," given to him by Kaien Cross, former vampire hunter. Zero is a vampire himself who has sworn to kill all purebloods."_

It all spilled over me, mixing like colors on a paint pallet dipped in water and left to run, making new colors, new connections, new discoveries…

"_Zero Kiriyu is a vampire…"_

I sank to the floor, holding my aching head in my hands. How could Zero be a vampire? Why would he kill one of his own kind to save me? How did he get this way? The only way to become a non-Level E vampire was to be born that way or to drink the blood of the pureblood who bit you, but if Zero was a Level E, surely he would have bitten me… when I had been attacked, however long ago that was. There had certainly been more than enough blood to tempt him…

Zero groaned quietly and shifted in his sleep. I shot to my feet, looking around the room frantically, trying to find a way to escape.

Then I hesitated, looking sadly over my shoulder. But… Zero _wasn't_ like that Level E who had tried to kill me. He had _saved_ me, and brought me here. Sure, he _sort_ _of_ attacked me last night, but that was purely reflex. Overreacting to possible threats comes with the territory of being a vampire hunter. If I had knocked that wouldn't have happened, and you heard the Chairman; he gave up his very own comfy bed to sleep on the couch so he wouldn't wake _me_ from _my_ sleep.

I sighed and walked over to the couch, grumbling to myself about duty and guilt and debts to be paid.

I nudged his shoulder with my hand. "Zero?" I whispered. "Zero, wake up. I made breakfast. The Chairman is going to eat it all if you don't go now," I added. His finger twitched. I was annoyed. That was it? That was all my award-winning breakfast deserved? A _finger twitch_? I felt an evil idea enter my mind as a malicious grin split my face.

I ran back to the bathroom where a little digging produced a bottle of hot pink nail polish. Before I started, though, I dabbed a bit of cinnamon oil beneath his nose to block out the chemical scent of the nail polish. He should thank me. Now he'll smell good _and_ have a pretty manicure.

Five minutes later I rocked back on my heels, surveying my handiwork. Not only were Zero's nails a bright, eye-burning pink, they were also long and delicate with lime green French tips and the words "I Luv to Shop" on his fingernails. I covered my mouth to hide a snicker.

Then I grabbed a pillow and whacked him across the side of the head as hard as my wimpy arms could manage. He jolted upright, reaching impulsively for the Bloody Rose that he usually kept inside his jacket. I perched on the coffee table in front of the couch, the gun dangling casually from my fingertips.

Honestly, how suicidal do you think I am, to leave Zero with his _gun_ after I had just insulted his masculinity? Of course it was the first thing I lifted from him. Okay, I admit it freely. I was somewhat of a kleptomaniac, (Someone who feels the need to steal even though there is no reason to) which meant that I was a professional pickpocket.

Unfortunately for my pride, though, Zero didn't get to be one of the best by sheer luck. He tackled me off the coffee table and onto the plush carpet. I held the gun out of his reach, giggling hysterically. I was just a little bit afraid, but my brain couldn't really process the danger of the situation because every time I saw his fingernails I burst into uncontrollable fits of mirth, still trying to wriggle out from under him and keep the gun out of his reach.

He finally pinned my wrist with one hand, pressing one of his legs over mine to keep them immobilized. He looked down at me, some unnamable emotion on his face. If I didn't know better I would have said that it was… amusement? That couldn't be right… Everything I had ever heard about Zero said that he was _never_ amused.

Suddenly the mood changed from humorous to wild. Desperate. Needy. Zero's violet-grey eyes bored into mine hungrily, and it felt like an electric shock had suddenly passed from my scalp to my toes. I was without warning suddenly aware of every inch of him that was pressed against me.

"Ahem," someone interrupted.

Zero and I jumped apart like the opposite ends of a magnet.

"Ah, Chairman Kaien," I said politely, shooting to my feet and bowing. Zero glared at me and snatched the gun from my limp fingers. Good. I was glad to be rid of the damn thing, anyways. Guns gave me the creeps. "We were, uh, just coming," I lied somewhat-smoothly, my eyes flashing.

Back in the kitchen, I held up a pot of coffee and one of tea. "Um… good morning. I didn't know if you wanted coffee or tea, so I made both. There's some muffins on the table. Banana and blueberry."

I skirted the edges of the kitchen, staying as far away from the Chairman and Zero as I could. They _seemed_ nice enough, but appearances were always deceiving. And I wasn't totally sure how to handle the sudden rush of emotions I was now feeling every time I looked at Zero. It was like someone let loose a swarm of butterflies in my stomach…

I shook my head angrily, then caught a glimpse of Zero's still-ridiculously-painted fingernails and nearly collapsed into a fit of giggles. I only managed to control myself by stuffing half a muffin in my mouth, chewing rapidly as I attempted to regain my self-control.

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And... CUT! I hope Y'all found that enjoyable, because I have no idea as to when I'll get around to updating again. If anyone has any ideas/critisism/etc, feel free to let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, you know all those people who are all excited about going to school and meeting new people, things like that? Of course you do. Well, they're bleeping idiots. School is a nightmare. People stared at me all day, and I only found out later - from Yori, the nice girl I sat with at lunch - that it was because I was with Zero.

Apparently, Zero was a prefect, one of the school Guardians, and, according to the rest of the female - and male - population, the meanest man alive. So, Yori explained, seeing him walking next to me, not dragging me down the hall, not trailing behind me or way out in front of me, but _next_ to me, was bound to turn some heads.

I was glad that I had every class with Zero, because I always knew someone. He slept through most of the classes, though. I had to wake him up a few times.

He never even noticed his fingernails. I wasn't sure whether or not to giggle or be insulted. I mean, show an artist a little respect! It had taken me like, ten minutes to do that. I wonder when he actually _will_ notice.

After the final bell rang, Zero led (dragged) me to the entrance gates to the Moon Dorms. A shriek that I would liken to one you would expect to hear only upon entering the gates of hell rose to meet me, and I winced, covering my ears.

"Good God, what are they, slaughtering hyenas?" I shouted, trying to make myself heard over the raucous noise.

Zero remained impassive, his hands in his pockets. "They're like this because of the Night Class."

"Is it like this every day?" I demanded, attempting to ferret out more information. I could hear the capital letters in those words. _Night_ _Class_, not night class. "Are you here to see them, too?"

"Yes, it's always like this. No, I am not here to see those…" he trailed off, hesitating. I decided to show off, just a little bit.

"Leeches?" I guessed.

His head snapped around violently and his violet eyes were wide with shock. "How did you…?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. Lovely, I know. I was _such_ a lady. "First of all, I was just attacked by a Level E. Second, it's called reading. You really should try it sometime. I hear it's good for your brain development," I added, thwacking him on the side of the head with my knuckles.

He scowled darkly. "Which one of the filthy leeches are you here to see?"

I jerked away from him, appalled. I was _this_ _close_ to punching him in the face as hard as I could. I decided not to. I needed to have _some_ tricks up my sleeve, in any case. "How dare you even suggest it!" I hissed at them, my lips curling up over my teeth. I had to reign in most of what I would have said, because, after all, Zero was a vampire as well, and I didn't want to offend him. Too much. "Like I would want anything to do with those _pompous_, _arrogant_, _sons_ of a -"

Zero clapped his hand over my mouth. "You don't like them. Good. We agree on something."

I glared at him over his hand and a wicked thought flittered through my mind. I licked him, and I mean I really slobbered all over him. He tasted kind of good, though.

He jerked his hand away, looking disgusted. "Disgusting. What the hell was that for?"

I sniffed and tossed my hair over my shoulder. In the sunlight it looked like red gold. "Well, I needed to thank you for agreeing that the Night Class is no good, but you wouldn't move your hand. For a moment I thought I was dealing with a whole bunch of leech-lovers here."

He sighed, shaking the excess spit off his hand and scrubbing it clean on his slacks. Then seemed to get an idea. "Then you can help me tame the wild fan-beasts. Ever since Yuuki…" he trailed of, wincing.

"Became a pureblood?" I added gently. I put my hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Zero. I know what it's like to loose someone to that darkness."

Zero looked at her from the corner of his eye. This was the first time she had ever disclosed any personal information about herself. The Chairman was still looking into who she was.

It still burned his heart like fire to even think of Yuuki, but Tora's presence seemed to act like a balm to that wound.

The wind blew her hair around her face, the long tendrils flying in the breeze like coppery snakes. She looked beautiful, framed in the light of the dying sun, her face wreathed in shadow.

A loud burst of screams broke through the pairs silent reverie and Zero swore loudly, grabbing my hand and dragging me through the crowd of girl who, I noticed wickedly, moved willingly out of the way of the vindictive prefect.

"Just keep them from trampling you," Zero said, taking his place in front of the mob of hormonal, crazed teenage girls. I blinked stupidly. He was braver than I was. Under normal circumstance I wouldn't have even dared to venture within twenty yards of the horde without at least two squadrons of Marines, air support, tear gas, tazers, and some really solid, long, lead nightsticks.

Taking a deep breath, I scurried across the walkway and yelled to the rest of the demented girls, "Take one step past me and I'll rip out your spine through your nose and beat you with it!"

Instantly, there was two feet of space between me and the crowd.

"That's just great," I heard one girl mutter to her friend, "She's just like Kiryuu."

Then the doors slowly creaked open, and the fan girls swarmed forward with renewed vigor. I was really beginning to wish that I had kept Zero's gun so I could threaten the mob with it. I could barely keep them back, and I think I might have sort of kind of maybe accidentally punched a few of the more… zealous ones.

Then the Night Class emerged, and all hell broke loose.

"Oh, shut up, you witless harpies!" I yelled, shoving a few more strays behind my invisible boundary line.

The vampires were beautiful, I must admit. There were three girls, one with long, dusky rose curls, one with carroty strawberry blonde hair up in pigtails, and the third, who was shadowing Kaname, whom I recognized from yesterday. She had short, chin-length silver hair and carried about her an air of deadly purpose. The boys were as different as the girls. One had slightly curly blonde hair and was waving to the crowd, another had dark wine-red hair and was walking with the small girl with the pigtails. Another blonde - with green eyes instead of blue and a huge grin - walked on the other side of Kaname. The boy walking beside the pretty girl with dusky curls had unruly auburn hair that looked like he had just woken up.

I glared at them, hating them all. Especially the short girl with long brown hair and wide, chocolate brown eyes clinging to Kaname's arm. From the way Zero stared at her longingly I knew she was Yuuki, and I instantly hated her more than I had ever hated anyone before, with every fiber of my being. My fingers burned painfully for a moment as my fingernails lengthened and my lips curled back from my teeth as I turned back to the fan girls and snarled angrily.

It was rather quite funny, when I reflected on it. A girl about four inches shorter than the shortest of them, covered in bandages and bruises, managed to frighten even the upper classmen. Ridiculous.

"Tora-chan," said a voice. It was silky smooth, like oil. That oil only fed the flames of hatred in me, causing them to leap into my throat and demand to be released in some form of retaliation. Anger welled up inside me like a flood as I whirled to face him. "It is good to see you adjusting so well to this life."

Kaname stood there, flanked by the rest of the Night Class. The rest of the girls were dead silent, and a quite a few of them, sensing trouble, scurried back to their dorms.

"You made sure of that, didn't you, Kaname-dono,"** (A.N: Dono is the suffix for lord)** I said disdainfully, not bothering to hide the poison dripping from my words as I gave a mocking bow, my right hand clenched into a fist over my heart. The Night Class stiffened as one, and the one with long, dusky hair made to slap me.

I rocked back on my heels, just a bit, and watched her hand sail past my face. I caught her wrist, and smiled coldly. "Careful, Souen Ruka. I would hate to see you hurt yourself."

She jerked her hand from mine and stepped back.

Kaname laughed. "Ah, Tora. The Hissatsu reputation precedes you."

I froze, every muscle in my body locked down as if for impact. The Night Class students all stopped, staring at me with wide eyes.

Zero stepped up, shielding me with his body. I had no doubt that his hand was inside his jacket, resting on the handle of his Bloody Rose. "Now is not the time or place, Kuran. Save it."

Kaname's maroon gaze slid lazily to meet Zero's amethyst stare. He looked at Zero like a cockroach had just talked to him. "Of course, Kiryuu." he dipped his head politely to me. "My apologies, Miss Hissatsu. Another time."

He sauntered off to his classes and the rest of the vampires followed him. For a while I thought that I was going to be mugged by the jealous fans, but Zero stared them down and they dispersed quickly. We were alone.

He looked at me, slightly confused and a lot angry. "Hissatsu? You are a part of the most feared vampire hunter clan in the world? You didn't think that might be important for me to know?" Zero demanded, his voice rising.

I had tears in my eyes as I yelled back at him. "My own father had just turned into a Level E and killed my family! He beat me and starved me and raped me! Do you think I wanted anything to do with him?" I screamed.

"The females of the Hissatsu clan are always the prodigy. I absorbed my twin sister in my mother's womb, and I became the strongest anyone had seen in two thousand years. All my life, my destiny controlled who I was. I was _destined_ to rid the world of vampires. I was _destined_ to marry into a family equal to mine, and I was _destined_ to die at a young age, but only after I produced as many heirs as possible!"

My face crumpled as he stared back at me, his face emotionless. Tears spilled over my eyelids, drawing damp, silvery trails down my cheeks. I turned and fled from him, not looking back to see the sudden anger flare in his eyes and his hands reach out, as if to bring me back to him.

I fled to the woods and collapsed against a tree, sliding to the ground. I _hated_ him! I hated him, hated him, hated him… but did I really? No, not really.

I wanted him here with me now. I wanted him to look at me with those beautiful lavender eyes. I wanted him to hold me in his strong, lean arms. I wanted -

A soft meow cut off my delusional ranting. Shooting to my feet, my hand automatically reaching towards the gun on my hip that wasn't there, I peered into the misty darkness of the forest, searching for the source of the noise.

Just as I was about to give up, a tiny black and orange kitten stumbled out of the trees. She was so young, her eyes still a milky blue. I bent down and swooped her up into my arms, crooning wordlessly to her.

"Hey, pretty kitty. Where's your mama?" she looked up at me with sad eyes, and an image jolted through my head of a demon with a twisted face and red eyes. I stroked her back, feeling her shaky purr rumble in her throat. "Poor, poor kitty. We aren't so different, are we?"

I sat back down, the kitten in my lap. "What should I call you?" I asked, thinking out loud. "Oh, I know! How about… Matilda?"

The kitten sneezed and stuck out her tiny pink tongue. Holding up my hands in surrender, I said, "Okay, okay! Not Matilda. How do you feel about… Molly?"

She looked up at me condescendingly and dug her claws into my thigh.

"Ouch! Alright, alright! No more girly-girl names. Aha! I think I have the perfect one. Freya! She's the Scandinavian goddess of love and beauty."

Freya's purring increased, and she settled contentedly in my lap, her tail twitching lazily.

I sighed. "I wish I had it as easy as you, Frey-Frey. Like now, I just had a huge fight with my new friend, and he probably hates me because I kept secrets from him. I think that's an overreaction. Everyone has secrets, mine just happened to be a little bit… deadlier than his was. Zero has his secrets, and I don't see him rushing to tell me any of them."

I rubbed the cats ears distractedly as I continued to pour out my heart to Freya, not even bothering to think twice about having a full conversation with a cat. "Sometimes… sometimes it just seems like too much, you know? I mean, my dad - who I never really liked in the first place, because he was pure evil - turned into a Level E and slaughtered my entire family. If Zero hadn't been there in time… he would have killed me too."

I slumped against my tree. "I just wish that I was dead sometimes, so that I wouldn't be a problem anymore. Everyone would be so much better off if I was out of the way, and I wouldn't have to deal with all this pressure to be the best. Death seems like the best choice for me right now."

"Aw, Tora-chan, don't think that way! I would miss you terribly," said a voice from the shadows. Freya jumped to my shoulder and wound herself around my neck as I jumped to my feet, whirling rapidly.

Aidou stepped from the darkness, and I just then noticed that the light had completely faded and I was alone in the middle of the woods with a hungry vampire.


End file.
